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Guilded: Top Ten Things To Do After Level 80

Level 80 is the ultimate ding in Guild Wars 2. What's next? The hollow existential silence that reverberates after a Tibetan prayer bell? Or is this when the party starts? My Engineer just hit level 80 in the icy waters of Frostgorge Sound, which officially puts me into the endgame. Since I no longer have the convenient draw of the next level to pull me through Guild Wars 2, why would I keep playing? Glad you asked. Here are the top 10 things I'm looking forward to doing after you're level 80.

10) Elite Skills

The benefits of leveling up don't end at 80! Hitting the level cap won't unlock all your skills. Fortunately, you're still earning experience points as you play. As you fight, explore, quest, and craft, you still fill that bar at the bottom of the screen. Each time it gets full, you earn another skill point. You'll need a bunch more of these to get your expensive elite skills, which are determined by your choice of class and race. For me to get an Engineer's mortar and a charr's bazooka, I've got about 40 faux levels to go.

The ultimate ding.

9) Get More Skill Points

I can also get skill points by doing the skill point challenges in the world, displayed on the map as chevrons. These are a bit like collectibles or hidden coins, but you have to work for them. They're guarded by bosses or jumping puzzles or even riddles. Open your map. Look at all those hollow chevrons waiting to be collected! Every one of them brings me that much closer to my mortar and bazooka.

Skill points are the currency that buys special items for the Mystic Forge.

8) Spend Skill Points

Okay, so looking ahead into the future when I'm merrily mortaring and bazookaing my way through the world, I'm still not done with skill points. Skill points are the currency that buys special items for the Mystic Forge. You know the Mystic Forge, don't you? It's like a cross between a Horadric Cube, a lottery-ticket dispenser, and a treasure-eating trash compactor. It hates you. You throw perfectly good stuff into it and it usually spits out junk. Except for those rare times it spits out something useful. Which means you're foolish enough to keep throwing in perfectly good stuff. But the key to the Mystic Forge is the stuff you can buy from Miyani in Lion's Arch, and she'll only sell it for skill points.

Harder than getting a legendary weapon in Diablo III?

7) Legendary Weapons

Guild Wars 2 has something called Legendary weapons. This is apparently the endgame endgame, and it goes for hundreds of hours beyond the level cap. Legendary weapons are mainly fancy visual upgrades, such as the fabled bow that shoots rainbows. Who can resist such a thing? This is what the Mystic Forge is ultimately for, and when I say ultimately, I mean ultimately. A Legendary weapon is as remote to me now as level 80 was when I first started playing. Every time I play, I pass through a character-select screen with an empty medal that indicates I don't have a legendary weapon. Thanks for the reminder, Guild Wars 2.

While you're collecting stray skill points, why not let your OCD carry you through the game?

6) Finish The Maps

While you're collecting stray skill points, why not let your OCD carry you through the game? Each area in Guild Wars 2 tracks how many vistas, sites, respawn points, hearts, and skill points you've completed. You know you hundred-percented a few of them on your way to the level cap. Now the ones you didn't hundred-percent are taunting you. Which sounds more decisive? Level 80 or 100%? Hmm, just 18% more in Brisbane Wildlands? Whenever I hit M, I'm like Daniel Plainview looking down at the map, scowling and asking, "Why don't I own this?"

Only 39% to go!

5) Achievements

If you need me to explain the draw of this part of Guild Wars 2, you wouldn't understand anyway. I may be level 80 but I'm only 22 more centaurs from the centaur slayer achievement, which will add five to my 931 achievement points.

A completely separate game played with your Guild Wars 2 character.

4) Structured PvP

The larger-scaled PvP, in which servers battle over strongholds in the aptly named Eternal Battleground, is just one mode of Guild Wars 2's PvP. The other mode is called structured PvP, and it consists of short team battles, much like the original Guild Wars. You start out at level 1. It is a completely separate track of advancement. It is a completely separate set of gear. It is, basically, a completely separate game played with your Guild Wars 2 character.

Hello, I'm your necromancer. Is it my turn yet?

3) Dungeons

There are eight dungeons in Guild Wars 2, each with four distinct variations. They are all punishing. Because you autoscale to the level of the dungeon, which reduces your stats accordingly, your only advantages are your gear, how well you play your class, and how well the others in your group play their classes. Unlike other MMOs, you cannot outlevel or brute-force your way through a Guild Wars 2 dungeon. You and four other people have to figure it out or fail it.

My Necromancer and Guardian, each of which plays very differently from my Engineer, aren't going to level themselves.

2) One Down, Seven To Go

Given the eight distinct classes, I would no more consider a level 80 Engineer a conclusion to Guild Wars 2 that I would consider a level 60 Witch Doctor a conclusion to Diablo 3 or a level 50 Siren a conclusion to Borderlands 2. My Necromancer and Guardian, each of which plays very differently from my Engineer, aren't going to level themselves.

1) Veg

Look out over the blue waters of Frostgorge Sound, contemplating this new world of games without end.

There certainly doesn't seem to be a shortage of activities for Guild Wars 2's octogenarians. What have you been up to since you dinged 80, and has it kept you coming back for more?